The buzz around town reported by some press has been that the singing in Les Misérableswas unique because it was recorded live, something that had never been done before in a movie musical. Production sound mixer Simon Hayes wants to set the record straight. “That’s not what we’re claiming, and we never did claim it was the first time," said Hayes. "Where Les Mis the movie is unique, and I think is groundbreaking and we are indeed the first, isn’t just the live singing element. What was really exciting about director Tom Hooper’svision was that he didn’t want to tie the actor’s performances to a prerecorded track."